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Image posted by Rex Rattus
Submitted on Thursday, 10th March 2016
With picture contributions to 1103 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Northumberland Arms, Brentford
Brentford
TW8 8JB
Served areas
Reviews of The Northumberland Arms (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Northumberland Arms
The Northumberland Arms is a surprisingly small, single room pub on the main road through Brentford, that traded as O'Brien's for a number of years before reverting back to its original name. The place has clearly undergone a somewhat upmarket refurbishment in recent times, presenting an L shaped room with modern floorboards throughout and a basic servery in the rear right corner. The bar has a wood panelled counter front which has been painted in a pastel shade to match many of the walls, but retains a nice dark wood top and bar back. As well as the muted paint scheme, there are sections of bare brick wall to both the left and right and these have been decorated with various eye catching bits of modern art including Picasso and Mondrian reproductions. High table and stool seating fills the smaller space to the right of the entrance, with some nice window sill seats along the front wall and regular tables and chairs down the left hand side, which extends a little way to the rear, past the servery. Several plain mirrors round out the decor and help to give the impression of a little more space, whilst a door at the back leads to a rear patio garden, should the need arise for some actual extra room. A TV in the front corner was showing a music channel with the sound on, which was highly annoying when the channel cut to adverts which also end up getting played through the room. Food was available although I failed to see a menu, but several people were eating and it looked like it was pretty good quality.
Four hand pumps were offering a choice of Wytchwood Dryneck, Sharps Doom Bar, Caledonian Cold Comfort and a real cider. A very surly barman poured me a pint of the Cold Comfort which was a passable enough pint in reasonable shape, if not particularly memorable. There was a modest crowd in on a Saturday afternoon, but it seemed like a reasonable cross-section of customers.
This was a nice enough place to stop for a quick drink but I couldn't help but think it was better suited to diners and had perhaps lost some of its 'pubiness' in the latest refit. This is a shame, as it seems like it would make quite a nice, intimate and cosy boozer but is instead a bit cold and lacking character. I'd still consider popping in for a pint in the future, but for a longer session it won't be troubling the nearby Magpie and Crown anytime soon.
On 5th March 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Northumberland Arms
A nice comfortable pub, quite small inside, a modernish feel about the place and the art work mentioned below didn't put me off in any way, in fact I felt they added a little character, a mix of Mondrian and Picasso, obviously not originals. Three pumps on the bar dispensing Doom Bar (sigh), Brains Reverend James and Robinsons Robohop which was quite a decent drop, also on was Lillys Apple and Pear Cider. A nice little pub with the helpful bonus of opening at 11:00 on a Sunday.
On 19th June 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Northumberland Arms
I see from the previous reviewer's posting that the intention in making this place look like a glorified coffee bar is to discourage the hoi polloi. Well, that didn't work as it didn't discourage me and a chum from dropping in to see what it's like. The only other punter in on Wednesday morning was a chap in leathers standing at the bar with his crash helmet on one of the stools. The abstract painting are still there on the left hand wall. I'm afraid I just don't get modern art - at least the modern art in this place that consisted of paintings of different coloured squares and rectangles. One of them had "Mondrian" written underneath it, which didn't help me at all. Anyway, this place had something I hadn't seen before in a pub; little dishes on all the tables containing coffee beans. I'm not sure what you were supposed to do with them.
On the plus side, however, it did have three ales on - Doom Bar, plus a couple from Downton Brewery, as well as Lilleys Apple & Pear Cider. We had Downton Beer of the Monkey, which as it happened was in good shape. I saw menus on some of the IKEA style tables on the left, but I didn't look at them.
The beer was good, but it didn't really feel like I was in a pub. It's not really my kind of place.
On 12th March 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
View more reviews of The Northumberland Arms (10)
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- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Northumberland Arms - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Micropub : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
- Real Cider : No last updated 19 October 2022 by ROB Camra
